Non-conformity is a very broad aspect of life. We are
non-conformist with the life we lead, the amount of time we spend with our
loved ones, the career we are building and many other aspects of our daily
lives. The question arises then, is being a non-conformist a trait that the
opposite sex finds attractive? Is this trait gender-specific?

There is a common notion that women prefer non-conformist
men and men prefer conformist women. In simple words, women like when a man
feels there is always room for improvement, he is always seen giving his best through
his daily endeavors and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Whereas,
men find attractive when a woman is happy with what she has and is not in the
constant strive for advancement. But, how true is this?

A recent study done at the University of Queensland, by
Professor Matthew Hornsey and associates, sought to answer that same specific
question and the findings were quite surprising. Indeed, non-conformists are
found attractive by both men and women, and by no means is it a gender-specific
trait.

We know what you are thinking. That goes completely against
the fact that you hate it when your partner decides to return their plate at a
restaurant, because they are not quite satisfied with the way they prepared it.
You just want to have a quite meal, without any problems.

It may be that on the surface, you actually hate this, but
on the inside, you actually secretly appreciate that your partner is not
satisfied with that certain degree of quality which they consider can be
improved with the right amount effort.

There is a fine line though, between being a non-conformist
and being plain spoiled. It is one thing to be a realist non-conformist, who is
humble enough to appreciate the effort and value that goes into achievement.
While it is a completely different thing to disregard all effort, without any
empathy for the process behind the work.

Being a non-conformist does not mean that one is not happy
with what one has. Quite on the contrary, one withholds great appreciation for
ones achievements, but always seeks to achieve better heights. Because as much
as things can always be better, things, in fact, can always be worse. And it is
this concept which has pushed humanity to the levels of attainment we see it
today.